Undemocratic states that seek to exploit soft power to hide their human rights abuses should be condemned, not celebrated
Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the 2034 World Cup is just another attempt at sportswashing
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CATEGORY: News and features
How can Gaza rebuild its culture?
With a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas now imminent, Index reflects on the damage done to Palestine’s cultural institutions
A story of forgotten fiction in Vietnam
The country’s rich literary history has been plagued by censorship and book bans
Will Meta’s changes to content moderation work?
Are Mark Zuckerberg’s recently announced plans to ditch existing fact-checking policies motivated by winning political gain?
What could Assad’s downfall mean for freedom of expression in Syria?
Syrian journalists have been subjected to free speech violations for decades. Could the future hold hope for a more open media landscape?
Bashar al-Assad has fallen: now I must continue writing
A formerly imprisoned, exiled journalist talks about his plans to return to Syria and resume reporting
It’s been quite the year for freedom of expression
We’ve seen severe violations by repressive governments – but we’ve also seen remarkable acts of defiance by political activists, journalists and protesters
Pakistan faces increasing internet censorship
Internet shutdowns are nothing new in the country, but authorities appear to be using them as a form of control now more than ever
Book censorship is rife on Amazon.com, according to a report from The Citizen Lab
The research laboratory has identified that books with LGBTQ+ and religious themes are being restricted for sale online in the Middle East
Can academic freedom survive Donald Trump’s plans for thought control?
The president’s aim to remove power from universities and punish so-called “woke” ideology has chilling implications for free speech globally